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Day 4

We just entered Denmark and the weather started to clear a little. The difference in cycling becomes apparent immediately. There are cycling roads almost everywhere and they are of high quality. However, cycling takes more effort, because the steepness of all the hills is higher.

This was the first time during the trip that exhaustion struck. We sometimes had to stop just to catch our breath. Next to this it became clear that my average speed was somewhat higher than that of my friend. This sometimes created large distances between us and thus confusion and a little friction.

When we arrived in Kolding it had already gotten dark. We had a rest on a parking lot next to a gas station. It was Christmas eve and there was no one around. We were basically preparing ourselves to get out of the city and find a forest again. However, my friend spotted a wooden shed in the corner of the parking lot. We checked it out and it was empty except for some bottles. There was nobody around and we figured that the owner would not mind us sleeping a night there. We cooked some food, which was our Christmas dinner and went to sleep. It rained all night so we were happy to stay inside. Continue reading →

Day 2

After a good night’s rest we woke up and packed our things. We were adamant to leave the place the way we found it and therefore checked several times to ensure that we took everything with us. Due to our great progress the day before we only had 110km of cycling to go to our destination, Oldenburg. In this city we had booked an Airbnb.

Day 1

After weeks of preparation and doubt the day had finally come. In the morning of the 21st of December we packed our bags, prepared our bicycles and left home. We left home in Eindhoven around 7am. The goal was to reach Hengelo and set up camp somewhere outside the city, but stay in The Netherlands. This is about 160km and we expected to reach the city around 6pm.

Introduction

During Christmas holidays of 2016 me and a friend went on a cycling trip from Eindhoven (Netherlands) to Bergen (Norway). During summer this is quite an achievement, but we did it in winter. Next to this, we would do it on second-hand racing bicycles from the 80s. In order to make it an even greater adventure, we decided that we would sleep outside most nights. Not using a tent, but using a tarpaulin.

At first, many people did not believe we were actually going to try this.

Back to Tehran

In the beginning of March I woke up in Shiraz. I headed to the airport from where I flew back to Tehran. My plan was to catch a bus to Erbil in Iraq. However, I was not sure if this bus was even going. Let alone at what time the bus left and how long the journey would take.

After arriving at the West Bus Terminal in Tehran I found a bus company that regularly drives to Erbil. This was only the third company I asked so this was not bad. The ticket cost me the equivalent of about 25 euros. Although